Posts in USPTO

On October 26, a panel majority of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (CAFC) affirmed a pair of final written decisions at the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) invalidating patent claims owned by Monterey Research and covering improved static random access memory (SRAM) cell designs. Dissenting from the majority was Circuit Judge Timothy Dyk, who believed that both the Board and CAFC panel majority erred by concluding that claim amendments made during reexamination did not differentiate the claims from asserted prior art references.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (CAFC) today issued a precedential ruling finding that it is ultimately the petitioner’s burden to clearly present arguments in an inter partes review (IPR), and that Netflix failed to do so in challenging the relevant claims of DivX’s streaming technology patents. Judge Dyk dissented from the majority.  

It was a slow week at the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) with just 18 new petitions—all inter partes reviews (IPRs); in district court, a slightly below average 54 new patent filings and 48 terminations rounded out the count. District courts saw continued filings in several large campaigns. Unwired Global Systems LLC (associated with high volume plaintiff, Jeffrey Gross) adds another seven defendants to its campaign, asserting a single patent related to home area network middleware interfaces and inventor-controlled Optimum Imaging Technologies LLC filed suit against six defendants asserting patents related to, not surprisingly, digital imaging, bringing the total number of defendants to seven.

Inter partes review (IPR) is a legal process conducted before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) to assess patentability based on anticipation or obviousness using prior art publications and patents. Congress established IPR to offer an efficient alternative to litigating patent disputes before the district courts. This article discusses some practice tips for both challenging and defending patents in IPRs before the PTAB.

Yesterday, Google waived its right to respond to a petition for writ of certiorari to the U.S. Supreme Court filed by the inventors of a method for protecting computers from malware. The inventors, Alfonso Cioffi and Allen Rozman (the patent is now assigned to Melanie, Megan and Morgan Rozman), are appealing a U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (CAFC) decision that reversed a district court ruling and $20 million verdict for the inventors. The CAFC held that the Texas district court erred in ruling that four claims across the three patents were not invalid and agreed with Google’s argument that the claims were invalid under the “original patent requirement” because they contained reissue claims not disclosed in the original patent.

On October 23, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office’s (USPTO) Office of the Chief Economist (OCE) published a report detailing patent application filing trends at the USPTO related to COVID-19 diagnostics technologies. The OCE found that filing activity surged following the arrival of the novel coronavirus in early 2020, with much of that increase driven by small companies and research institutions. The report found further evidence suggesting that federal funding had a significant impact on driving innovation into COVID-19 diagnostics at small R&D entities.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (CAFC) issued two opinions today on appeals from a total of six inter partes review (IPR) decisions, affirming two of the decisions and dismissing the remaining four as moot. In the first decision, the CAFC affirmed the Patent Trial and Appeal Board’s (PTAB’s) finding in IPR2018-00874 that certain claims of Team Worldwide Corporation’s U.S. Patent 7,246,394, which is directed to an inflatable product, like an air mattress, with a built-in pump, were shown to be unpatentable as obvious. Because of that affirmance, the holdings in IPR2018-00872 and IPR2018-00873, from which Intex appealed, and the holdings in IPR2018-00870 and IPR2018-00871, from which Team Worldwide also cross-appealed along with its cross-appeal of the ‘874 decision, were rendered moot.

This week in Washington IP news, a House subcommittee holds a hearing on advances in deepfake technology. Elsewhere, the Peterson Institute hosts the launch of an OECD report that looks at how governments can spur growth in the green economy, and the USPTO holds a three-day event for newcomers to the patent application process.

In Part I of this article, I recalled the early years of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, when the court was working well, and how it all went wrong. In this second half, I recount how the America Invents Act (AIA) has fundamentally shifted the power in patent enforcement and policy. I close on a positive note, detailing the current legislative efforts that, if enacted, will restore balance in the U.S. patent system, which is necessary for continued innovation leadership, economic success, and national security.

Innovation has been the driving force behind our country since its inception. So much of our nation’s success has flowed from U.S. ingenuity and innovation. Yet much remains to be done on this front. Indeed, in a few short years, we will be celebrating the Semiquincentennial (also called the Sestercentennial)—250 years since the signing of the Declaration of Independence. We need the same approach moving forward, and we have the opportunity to do so with pending legislation, which brings me to a chance to reflect on some important questions of intellectual property and innovation policy.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (CAFC) on Wednesday ruled in a precedential decision  that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (TTAB) cannot cancel a trademark based on the filing of a fraudulent declaration under Section 15 of the Lanham Act. Section 15 of the Lanham Act deals with acquiring incontestability status for an already-registered trademark. In the present case, the attorney for Great Concepts, LLC submitted a false declaration to the USPTO in an attempt to obtain incontestable status for the mark DANTANNA’S for a steak and seafood restaurant.

On October 16, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (CAFC) issued a precedential decision in Corephotonics, Ltd. v. Apple Inc. affirming most of a final written decision by the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) that invalidated dual-aperture camera system patents owned by Corephotonics. The Federal Circuit nixed the patent owner’s arguments that asserted prior art references were not analogous art but remanded to the PTAB for further explanation of its ruling, as the Board may have misconstrued the pertinent problem addressed by one reference.

This week in Washington IP news, Congress returns from its district work period with the House holding several meetings related to IP and innovation. The House Subcommittee on Courts, Intellectual Property, and the Internet holds a hearing on IP competition with China and another subcommittee discusses safeguarding data in the growing AI industry. Elsewhere, IPWatchdog is hosting its Life Sciences Masters™ program in Ashburn, VA, and the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office hosts a panel discussion for its ongoing Women’s Entrepreneurship (WE) program

In Sur-Replies filed late last week in inter partes review (IPR) proceedings, Urban Intel, Inc. told the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) that threats made by ASSA ABLOY Global Solutions “to file IPR petitions and a declaratory judgment action unless granted a free license to three valuable patents,” among other allegations, “runs directly counter to the purpose and goals of the post-grant administrative challenge system.” The sur-replies are in response to petitioner’s replies filed earlier this month by hotel security company ASSA, addressing abuse of PTAB process allegations by Urban Intel. ASSA argued that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) cannot enter sanctions against it because ASSA did not seek payment from Urban Intel’s exclusive licensee when it threatened to “rain down an avalanche of IPRs” if ASSA didn’t obtain a cost-free license to Urban Intel’s patents, according to the patent owner’s preliminary response.

On October 10, the U.S. Supreme Court issued an order list showing it had denied the petition for writ of certiorari filed in Personalized Media Communication, LLC v. Apple Inc. In denying the appeal, SCOTUS leaves in place a divided Federal Circuit ruling that improperly expanded prosecution laches doctrine according to Personalized Media (PMC). The cert denial also passes on the question of whether prosecution laches remains a valid defense to patent infringement in light of the Supreme Court’s 2017 ruling in SCA Hygiene Products v. First Quality Baby Products.